How To Thoroughly Clean Your Makeup Brushes

There are some things in life that you just don’t think about doing, like cleaning your mattress or deep conditioning your hair. Maybe deep down you know you should consider doing these things, but they just don’t seem like a huge priority, do they? More often than not, these forgotten chores are the most important – and cleaning your makeup brushes might be at the top of that list.

Cleaning your makeup brushes seems like an impossible task. At the very least, it seems like an extremely tedious task, doesn’t it? Well, there are a few simple ways to get the job done! None of them are overly complicated or require some kind of special cleaner (although you could invest in a makeup brush cleaner, if you really wanted to).

1. Soap

To get your brushes squeaky clean, all you need to do is reach into your shower! Get a bowl of water and any old bar of soap, wet the bar, and rub your makeup brushes on the soap.

At first, the makeup will come off on the bar. Keep rinsing the soap until you see no makeup coming off the brush – when the soap is completely clean, then the brush is completely clean! Rinse the brush off with some clean water one last time and dry it with a paper towel.

2. Sponge and Body Wash

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We suggest a clean – and wet – sponge for this option. Get a wet sponge sudsy with some of your favorite body wash, then rub your makeup brushes back and forth to loosen up the makeup and bacteria from the brush bristles.

Rinse the brush and check to see if any makeup is still coming off the bristles by wiping them on a piece of paper towel. Scrub, rinse, and dry as many times as necessary until there is no trace of lingering makeup.

3. Olive Oil and Shampoo

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Is there anything olive oil can’t do? Especially when combined with shampoo! The olive oil breaks down makeup and conditions the bristles, while the shampoo adds an extra boost of cleansing power. This is a dream team.

Combine olive oil and shampoo in a small bowl and mix the two liquids together. Dip your makeup brushes in the mixture and bust out that trusty sponge again; rub the brush gently on the sponge, rinse, and repeat until all the makeup is gone.

How easy was that? No fancy materials required and only a few minutes of your time spent to get glimmering bristles. Still not convinced? Well, keep in mind that NOT cleaning your brushes could be the demise of your perfect skin.

Brushes that have been collecting makeup (and dirt, sweat, and other facial oils) without being cleaned are crawling with bacteria. And bacteria, being rubbed all over your face? Especially if you already struggle with pimples? That means nothing good for your complexion.

Plus, clean brushes apply makeup the way it’s supposed to go on. Dirty brushes make for a spotty, streaky, or uneven application – which is not such a cute look.